2016 Sustainability report

Sustainable growth and continuous development: the year in brief

Axis has published its 2016 sustainability report, which again highlights the company’s leadership in driving a positive environmental impact and acting in a socially responsible and ethical way. Our work across these areas not only relates to our own business and employees, but includes our suppliers, distributors, partners, ensuring the highest levels of sustainability across our entire value chain.

In 2016, specific highlights included the fact that 85% of all our cameras and encoders are now PVC free, Axis being recognized with a Sustainability Leadership Award from the Business Intelligence Group, and, 91% of our employees in Sweden stating that they are very satisfied with Axis as a place to work.

Axis understands that sustainability and ethical business practice is a journey, not a destination, and through its internal councils focused on sustainability, environment, social responsibility and safety, Axis will continue to drive itself forwards to maintain and enhance the standards already set.

Minimising our environmental impact

While Axis is clearly focused on reducing the environmental impact of its own operations, most of Axis’ environmental impact happens indirectly, related to manufacturing, transportation, and energy consumption when its products are used. Axis therefore aims for improvements across both its whole value chain and throughout the entire lifecycle of our products and solutions.

Axis works with its suppliers, distributors, and partners to minimize direct and indirect environmental impacts involved in product development, material and component choice, and product packaging. Specific areas of focus include using recycled materials, reducing the number of product parts, choosing low-weight components, minimizing material waste, optimizing packaging, and improving energy consumption and efficiency in both Axis’ own operations and our products.

In 2016, specific measures Axis undertook to reduce its environmental impact included mapping the potential of producing entirely halogen-free products, continuing to phase out PVC from products, increasing the use of recycled plastics in products, and the implementation of the Greensoft system solution to promote the choice of environmentally-friendly materials in product development. In addition, Axis developed a new Environmental Policy, and conducted environmental training of personnel in Operations, R&D, Marketing, Sales, and Logistics.

As a specific example, in 2016 Axis developed five new products which maximise the use of recycled rather than virgin plastics, the design of which were based on the criteria in the Green Design Evaluation Form. As a result, about 64% of each of the new cameras is made of recycled plastic, largely coming from CDs, plastic bottles and personal computers. The cameras also employ a simple design and are easy to disassemble, an advantage in both repairs and end of life recycling, and packaging has been minimized to reduce size and weight, providing environmental benefits in transportation.

Social Responsibility at the heart of our business

Axis has employees in more than 50 countries around the globe, and produces products that have a great impact on many people’s lives. The company’s vision is to innovate for a smarter, safer world and social responsibility sits at the heart of this vision. Axis invests in social initiatives that positively impact both the company’s own operations and the markets in which the company is present.

Committed, well-qualified, happy employees are the foundations to Axis’ growth and on-going success. The company takes responsibility for creating a working environment that is safe and attractive, and works actively to promote increased diversity and equality giving employees opportunities to develop irrespective of gender, race, or background. In 2016, our employee survey highlighted a highly positive perspective on Axis as a place to work, a particular highlight being that 91% of employees in Sweden stated that they were very happy with Axis as a workplace.

In 2016, by donating network cameras, Axis contributed to a safer environment at Denisse Bistré Foundation's home for boys and girls in Mexico.

As an example, Axis was one of the first companies to become involved in the Commitment Skåne initiative, which aims to bring new arrivals into the workplace more quickly, and promote faster integration into society. After receiving their residence permit, new arrivals can register with the Swedish Employment Service after which companies such as Axis offer trainee positions, providing a reference which can lead to permanent employment with Axis or other organizations. Axis also participates in the Talent without borders project, part of Commitment Skåne, which offers interview training and assistance with CV reviews to new arrivals in the labor market.

Axis’ social responsibility also includes charity and sponsorship, contributing to the local community in the markets in which the company operates through involvement in and sponsorship of educational projects and sports associations, local environmental initiatives, and donations to charitable organizations.

Ensuring the highest standards of business conduct

Axis demands the highest standards of business conduct across not only its own business, but its entire value chain, including its suppliers, distributors and partners. Long-term relationships with partners provide one of the cornerstones of Axis’ business, and the company has more than 90,000 partners in 179 countries. Axis regularly communicates its own efforts in sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical business to its partner community, with the aim that all parties should act in a similar way.

An ethical approach to doing business is part of the day-to-day culture at Axis, where all employees are expected to work according to the company’s core values and in line with principles such as responsibility, professionalism, openness, and honesty. The values and guidelines upon which Axis conducts its business are built into the company’s Code of Conduct, based on the UN Global Compact’s ten principles, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

All Axis suppliers, of which there are currently 247, are expected to sign the company’s Supplier Code of Conduct, based upon the Axis Code of Conduct, or provide their own Code which is reviewed by Axis to ensure that it corresponds to its own content and meets the same high ethical standards. During 2016, Axis held internal training for the 20 inspectors who perform on-site audits at the company’s suppliers, and altered the planning and follow-up on on-site supplier audits to address any issues highlighted in a more effective and timely way.